1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to computers. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for searching a storage system for confidential data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a computer network, such as the Internet, users typically transmit personal and confidential information at the behest of a particular application or service. The application or service may use the confidential information for various purposes, including authenticating the user. One such well-known scenario involves the transmission of a username and password over the network to an application, such as web site on the Internet. Since the username and password may be used to gain access to additional confidential information of the user's, it is desirable to keep the username and the password themselves confidential. In essence, the username and password provide a digital identity of the user, which the user desired to keep secret.
As applications and services on networks such as the Internet proliferate, users have to create and maintain more and more digital identities. For example, a user may create several username/password pairs for various web sites. These digital identities may include various other types of confidential information, such as social security numbers, account numbers, and the like. Since these identities are digital in nature, there is a risk that the information therein is included in one or more unprotected digital forms, such as unprotected files on a user's computer. This may increase the risk that a user's confidential information is obtained and used without authorization. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a method and apparatus that searches a user's computer for confidential data.